Screen Digest – Future of Online Media – London: Online VOD platform SeeSaw is ready to enter beta at any moment, according to John Keeling, platform controller of the Arqiva-owned service.

Keeling told his audience at the Screen Digest Future of Online Media Distribution conference that SeeSaw, formed out of Project Kangaroo, was ready to go to beta the day before the transmission company purchased the assets. “We could go to beta tomorrow, but our view is that we want to make sure we’ve got the right product”.

Likening SeeSaw’s role to that of a personal shopper, Keeling said the key to success was to know and understand the audience and act as a trusted guide through the content. “The role of the SeeSaw platform will be to act as that guide and take the user on that journey”.

Arqiva is planning a mixed model of advertising supported and paid for content. Keeling said you could not rely on a single model and going forward it would be necessary to rely on more than the PC. Ultimately, he said, the model would depend on the consumer.

Asked when the audience would see the product for themselves Keeling responded: “I’ll see it with a year ending year 9, whether you see it is another matter.”